For the Fall 2018 instalment of their film campaign series French fashion house Kenzo tapped their co-creative director Humberto Leon for his directorial debut in the creation of their latest picture “The Everything.”

The film is a light-hearted narrative of a family of teenagers who brought together by their mutual peculiar superpowers.

Actress extraordinaire Milla Jovovich leads as the matriarch of the mutant squad which also includes actors Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smith-Mcphee and Sasha Frolova. Also featured, are actors Regina Hall and Jay Ellis along with a special appearance by filmmaker Spike Jonze. “The Everything” features Kenzo’s FW18 collection, along with pieces from La Collection Momento N°3 which is a collection of garments inspired by the brand’s archives. The film is to be released on the brand’s site on September 8th.

British cinematographer/screenwriter Molly Manning Walker is a creative best known for using her work to speak up on prominent issues within society from a unique perspective.

In 2015, Walker collaborated with director Billy Boyd Cape to create a powerful short film titled ‘More Hate Than Fear’ which gave insight on the experience of an unjustly imprisoned graffiti artist as he navigated the first months of his 3 year prison sentence.

Previously, Molly also teamed up with producer Joya Berrow to create the mini-documentary ‘Not With Fire, With Paint’ which explores the impact of the murder of Diego Felipe Beccera — a graphic artist shot in the back by police officers while painting in the streets of Bogota, Colombia during 2011.

Painting by Camilla Rose

The cinematographer is now turning her lens to the subject of rape and is currently working to produce a short film entitled ‘Dark Is Her Shadow’ which is set to explore the emotional, physical and mental traumas and stigmas surrounding sexual assault. “We follow Amy, who is a 16 year-old girl who is trying to resume life after being raped, the day after the incident, she struggles with being provided with little to no guidance while the ghost of her rapist returns to haunt her,” says Walker.

Once a victim of sexual assault herself, she explains that the intention of the film is: “to prevent people from losing eye contact when the word rape is brought up and counteract people from asking victims what we were wearing when we say we were raped.”

In order to raise funds for the film — set to be shot in London this November — Molly has brought together a team of 30 female artists for 30 days of an instagram auction.

Over the span of these thirty days, the donated work of each of these artists will be auctioned off via Walker’s instagram to raise money for the film.

Big Titty Kitty by Netty Hurley

“The film is being funded through Kickstarter and the page will go live on August 29th. Each day we will have a different piece, an image of this piece will go out on instagram, facebook and twitter, the artist will self-evaluate this piece and that will be the starting price. When the image goes up, the followers will have until midnight to bid on each piece. At midnight, the winning bidder will donate to the Kickstarter page and the piece will be marked sold.”

The group of women include illustrator Alice Rosebery-Haynes , music photographer Natalie Wood, portrait photographer Charlotte Ellis, fashion designer Jazz Grant, along with several other poets, painters and talented creatives.

The film is rendered in deep, rich colour, with a buoyant soundtrack that, along with the fast-paced narrative, sweeps the viewers into the heart of the country.

“Cuba gets under your skin; it’s a complete sensory overload, chaotic, colourful, unapologetically loud and in your face.” The pair said of the film, adding that “Life spills out on to the streets, people constantly approach you. The culture has a tempo and a pace that gets under your skin. We were instantly immersed in this and wanted the film to encapsulate this uninhibited, vivacious and spontaneous culture.”

Photographer and filmmaker Joost Vandebrug does with apparent ease what many struggle with for years: he let’s his intuition guide his art. But not just his art, also his passion, his productivity and ultimately – his success.

He is a man that wears many hats, but each of them seem to fit just fine. A Dutch art director, turned fashion photographer, who then became a documentary photographer and filmmaker, music video director and now kids’ clothing designer – he appears to weave between creative practices seamlessly.

All images from Cinci Lei by Joost Vandebrug

One of Joost’s most successful projects to date – which is still ongoing – is the Lost Boys series. For half a decade he has been following and documenting the lives of a gang of children who call the streets and tunnels of post-communist Bucharest their home. Over 6,000 photographs turned into a book, Cinci Lei, (which he gutsily got off the ground thanks to a Kickstarter campaign) and more than 120 hours of footage is becoming film-shaped as we speak.

Here, we catch up with Joost to find out how – and why – one man makes all that happen.

Firstly, when and why did you realise that you wanted to make pictures and films?
Although my mum and dad are both photographers, I never really considered it as an option while growing up. I was too busy playing in punk bands and wanting to become a rock star. I guess when that failed, I enrolled into art school, but even there I hardy ever worked through the medium of photography and film. It was only after my internship with Erwin Olaf and a year break from Amsterdam (where I lived at the time), that I came back and made a somewhat conscious decision to ‘be a photographer’.

All images from Cinci Lei by Joost Vandebrug

You’re described as both a photographer and filmmaker – how does your approach to each differ, if at all? And if you could only proceed with one of them for the remainder of your career, which would it be and why?My approach in both film and photography is virtually the same, very intuitive. But lets take my Lost Boys series as an example: I have followed this group of street children and their leader Bruce Lee for over five years, and last year I published a book. In the book I have laid out the pictures, carefully of course, protecting the protagonists, and telling the story of how I see the kids, and what it was like for me being with them for all this time. Though choices are predominately made on visual aesthetic.

Now that we are making a feature documentary about the same group, there is much less that I can – and want – to leave to be interpreted by the viewer. I am compelled for it to be an honest, real and correct document of their lives. Although it will still be a poetic film, the choices that I make are not just from a visual perspective but above all they have to drive the story forwards. The devices available to tell the story are also on a completely different level. And although because of my use of small camera’s for example, which resulted in me being an unadulterated part of the story, the film is in the hands of the protagonists. Which is very exciting, but also difficult as I want to protect the protagonists at the same time.

All images from Cinci Lei by Joost Vandebrug

Can you describe your first serious photographic and film projects, respectively? Can you recall what were you trying to convey with them?Quite early on, in 2007, I was offered a solo exhibition in FOAM Amsterdam (the photography museum). The exhibition was during fashion week, so they wanted me to make a fashion connection in the work. This work became my first step to combine fashion and documentary. And still today I love to shoot fashion on real people. This can be a documentary project, but also a portrait series with a great artist or musician.

How do you think your work has progressed over the years?On all levels I got calmer. I used to rush from project to project, making huge leaps from personal work to commercial work. I guess it was important to experiment, so it wasn’t all bad, though nowadays its all come together. My commercial work goes hand in hand with my personal work and I allow myself to dive into my projects much deeper.

All images from Cinci Lei by Joost Vandebrug

What kind of journeys does your work take you on?The Lost Boys project opened a whole new world. I am visiting and documenting the lives of young, aberrant and sometimes lost youths everywhere I go. And also, now that I have set up an NGO for the protagonists of the book and film, I am visiting many befriended charities and organisations. It is like an ongoing research and very inspiring to visit all these places where other NGO’s are dealing with similar issues as I went through with the Lost Boys.

Where would you love to shoot, that you haven’t already?If I think of a place, I usually try and go pretty quickly. But, apart from those kind of research trips, I always go back for longer times to follow up on the people that I have met. Documenting them over longer periods of time. I have no interest in shooting little stories all over the place for the sake of it.

All images from Cinci Lei by Joost Vandebrug

How did you segue into music videos? Was it something you’d always wanted to do?The great thing about making music videos is to collaborate with great musicians. So its important for me to feel a strong connection with the artist. My work has always had a connection with music, so once i started using video as a technique, it made sense to shoot music videos.

Is there a music video that you wish you’d shot?The first that springs to mind is Pink Floyd, Another Brick In The Wall.

All images from Cinci Lei by Joost Vandebrug

What are you working on right now and in the year ahead?The biggest ongoing project is of course the feature documentary about Bruce lee and the Lost boys. I have found an amazing supporting team at Grain media who are very dedicated to making this a beautiful film. Its in very safe hands with Katie Bryer (she edited the Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga) who is working on the film full time, so I am able to walk in and out the editing room and thus work on my regular photography and film work as well.

Also, my husband [Tom Eerebout] and I have just launched a kids’ wear label, Jumping Dog which is super exciting. All the pieces are inspired on adventure and interactiveness with the wearer, but best of all with the profits we are 100% funding the Cinci Lei project.

To find out more about Cinci Lei, Joost’s documentary or Jumping Dog visit joostvandebrug.com

For spring summer 2016, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim – creative directors of Kenzo – have chosen the medium of film to produce their wares, with the 10-minute short: Snowbird. Written and directed by Sean Baker – who is still riding the wave of his critically acclaimed Tangerine, which is described as “a dramatic slapstick slice of life of two Los Angeles trans women” – the entire film was shot in what is becoming his usual style: on an iPhone.

Set in the eclectic expanse of ‘Slab City’, in the Californian Sonoran desert, the short shows Theo (played by Lee) delivering pieces of homemade cake to different residents of the unique community. Described as “a Mecca for eccentrics living off of the grid”, Slab City is touted as “a conglomeration of domestic structures cobbled together with all manner of material.”

As opposed to a glossy, all-star ensemble cast proffering a slick and stylised fashion film, as is so often the case, Kenzo and Sean Baker’s take is an altogether real (many of the cast are genuine residents of Slab City) representation of clothes in situ, which “eschews the glitz and glamour of fashion.”

This is yet another string Abbey Lee can add to her acting bow, after a successful role in Mad Max: Fury Road saw her receive much praise last year. Watch Snowbird in its entirety below, and shop the new season collection when it drops at kenzo.com.

To mark the drop of their Resort collection this week, Etre Cecile have released a series of tongue-in-cheek 15 second mini films, playing on the label’s French (or lack thereof) heritage. Featuring a number of the brand’s key faces – from Tallulah Harlech to Laura Bailey and Pandora Skykes – as well as bright young things brought in through street casting, it is a playful way to celebrate yet more of their cool girl clothes hitting the shelves.

Founded by Yasmin Sewell, Jemma Dyas and Kyle Robinson, Etre Cecile has fast become a staple for women seeking a little je ne sais quois on a daily basis, thanks to their witty T-shirts, riotous prints and general fashion tomfoolery. And here, Yasmin tells Twin a little about this latest project:

“We wanted to bring together our diverse mix of Cecile girls in this film series, the french language theme thing is just our ongoing joke that well….we’re not really french at all! We street cast most of the girls mixed in with some well known faces who have been amazing ambassadors since Day One. We’ve never wanted to take ourselves too seriously as Etre Cecile was created so we could have easy fashion pieces you can feel unpretentious…but impactful in. Just like all our girls…” – Yasmin Sewell

Watch Tallulah Harlech flex her French skills in one of the videos below, and check out this link to see more. The best news of all? All of these pieces are out just in time for Christmas, and have gone straight to the top of our wish lists.

With monickers such as ‘The Pope of Trash’ and ‘The Prince of Puke,’ John Waters hasn’t always been welcomed into the greater film community, but his first UK retrospective at the British Film Institute, running until 6 October, will finally recognise him as one of the industry’s great counter cultural figures. Titled ‘It Isn’t Very Pretty…The Complete Films of John Waters [Every God Damn One of Them]”, the BFI’s month long series will screen not only his entire filmography, but his formative, early short films shown in the UK for the first time. As the ‘godfather of bad taste’, Waters’ films provide a cynical and celebratory take on American popular culture.

Though creative validation has never been a barometer for which Waters has measured himself by, the BFI tribute is nevertheless a fitting celebration of an artist who worked hard to foster an enduring and definitive style in an industry that doesn’t always allow such individuality. The cult director’s influence on art and fashion go far and wide, as seen recently in Jeremy Scott’s Spring/Summer 2016 show in New York which took beauty inspiration his films. Flip through runway shots and you’ll get to see the likes of Bella Hadid and Hollie May Saker as modern day replicas of Waters’ leading ladies – Debbie Harry, Traci Lords, and Waters’ best collaborator, the late drag performer, Divine (pictured above in Female Trouble).

The BFI series features his entire body of work, including cult classics like Pink Flamingo (1972) and his most commercial offering, Hairspray (1988). May we suggest, however, you take the time to watch Female Trouble (1974), starring Divine as a scorned teenage girl who goes on a crime spree after her parents fail to give her a pair of much coveted ‘cha cha’ heels. Another one to catch is Cry-Baby (1990), a musical romantic comedy set in 1950’s Baltimore that also stars Johnny Depp in his youthful prime.

“Women are a drastically under-utilised resource for the UK film industry.” That’s the conclusion drawn by Calling the Shots: Women and contemporary film culture in the UK, 2000-2015, an ongoing Arts & Humanities Research Council funded project, which investigates women as creative practitioners in contemporary UK cinema.

The Institute of Contemporary will celebrate this with Onwards and Outwards, a programme of films made by British women filmmakers over the last 50 years, focusing on those who have excelled in making works of independence and originality. The nationwide programme of screenings, talks and events aims to establish a dialogue around the conditions of production that women face when using the moving image as a means of expression.

Screenings will be accompanied by introductions and Q&As from relevant industry professionals and cultural practitioners such as Joanna Hogg, Laura Mulvey, Carol Morley and Campbell X.

Finishing with a round-up discussion, Onwards and Outwards will raise the profile of key issues and encourage public debate. The programme has been made possible by support from the BFI, awarding funs from the National Lottery.

Onwards and Outwards will run until 10 September at the ICA and until end of December at nationwide venues.

French director Céline Sciamma tackles feminine identity and coming-of-age in her latest film Girlhood, which debuted at Cannes last year. Originally attracting attention because of the implications of a white filmmaker directing and writing a story about black teenagers in the infamously troubled Parisian banlieues, the film has been nominated for four Césars, including Best Director and Most Promising Actress for its star, 20-year-old newcomer Karidja Touré.

Coming-of-age is not a new topic for Sciamma – witness her last two projects, Water Lilies and Tomboy – but a group of black teenage girls is a subculture that has rarely been depicted before. Protagonist Marieme is oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighbourhood. She starts a new life after meeting a group of 3 free-spirited girls, changing her name, her dress code, and quitting school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to freedom.

The result is a sensitive portrayal of feminine identity within the framework of social pressure, restrictions and taboos, of which image and identity are central. Perhaps most importantly, Girlhood’s success and publicity has made this particular subculture a lot more visible in France.

Last year, 6500 people slept rough in London. This short film features Tim Wright, who has been living homeless in Highbury for the past 10 years. Behind the camera is Hilow Films, a small production company which consists of Emily McDonald, 27, and her directing partner, Nev Brook, 35 ½. Twin catches up with Emily to learn more about the company and their reasons for doing this film.

Tell me about your background and how Hilow films came about.I left school when I was 16 and moved to London a couple of months later with one GCSE. I worked in various restaurants until I was introduced to an amazing man by my aunty, who told me he thought I might be good working in media. I got a job as a runner in a production company and spent the next year or so working insanely hard, until I got a job as a PA to the editors at an ad agency called Wieden + Kennedy. They asked me there if I wanted to learn to produce or edit and I said I’d love to learn how to edit, so they trained me up. This was where I met my directing partner Nev. He was a lot better behaved at school than I was, and even managed to make it through uni with a degree in film studies. After leaving W+K, we worked on a few projects together, but this year decided to step it up and formed Hilow Films. We are essentially a tiny production company and direct, film and edit for various clients.

Why ‘Hilow’?It’s called Hilow because Nev is really tall – 6’7 – and I’m pretty small at 5’3, so he is the hi and I am the low.. We look really weird next to each other!

The Pitch is an incredibly touching film – where did the concept come from?I had wanted to shoot a film about being homeless for a long time. I used to live very close to Highbury corner and walked past Tim nearly every day. He’s very charismatic, always smiling and joking with everyone, and I therefore found him very approachable. We got chatting and I asked if he would mind us following him around for the day and luckily he loved the idea. Nev and I both felt he would make a compelling character in a documentary about being homeless, without being relentlessly depressing, which most documentaries on the subject generally are.

Do you know anything about what’s happened to Tim since the film? Do you think it has changed anything for him?We go and see Tim on a weekly basis to see what he has been up to and how he is doing. He is still struggling with some substance abuse issues, but has managed to finally get a place in a hostel, which is great news especially as the weather is getting so much colder. We invited Tim to the screening and it was great to see him there. We hope this film is a tiny part of the very long process of Tim restarting his life and moving away from homelessness.

Did working on the film change your attitude towards the homeless?It definitely did. It’s easy to become a little callous in London, everyone is constantly on the move and it’s very easy to overlook a lot of things on a daily basis. Delving into his life, talking to Tim and realising that being homeless doesn’t rob you of normal emotions, desires and dreams felt revelatory to both of us, as shameful as that is to admit.

Are you hoping that the film will affect how society views the homeless?We wanted to show that being homeless is not easy, but is also not devoid of moments of humanity and even humour. Tim uses comedy to help him sell on his pitch, but it also keeps him attached to society in a very profound way.

Could you tell me a little bit about the film-making process? Was it all done in just one day?We always thought that ‘a day in the life’ type film would be the right way for us to go with it. As it was, a day’s filming that really helped with the way we structured it. It took us a couple of weeks to edit, there were so many amazing moments captured throughout the day that it became quite hard knowing what to keep and what not to. It was a real plus working together on it so that if one of us was being indecisive, the other one could be a little more ruthless! Other than that, Tim was incredibly open with us. The most important part in the whole project was definitely building a relationship with him. Without that fundamental part, he wouldn’t have communicated so well with us and been so relaxed on camera.

Was this sort of film similar to anything you had done before?We had shot profile/mini-docs about people before, but this was the most ambitious one we’d done.

What projects are you working on at the moment, what should we be looking out for?We’re about to direct a music video for Shura, which we are really looking forward to. Other than that we have a couple more documentary ideas we are beginning to work on, so hopefully early next year we will have some more films for you to watch.

An elegant woman storms down a corridor; the sound of her footsteps resonating against the floor creates a sinister heartbeat, drumming out the rhythm of a dramatic love triangle that ends in tragedy. This short film, Terminal 3, is Philip-Lorcia Dicorcia’s realisation of Dior’s stunning Cruise 2015 collection, inspired by Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Did you ever dress up in your mother’s pearls and lipstick when you were a kid? Watching your mum’s beauty ritual has probably profoundly affected your own make up routines and tricks. But this can work two ways – Dove’s latest research reveals that 34 per cent of mothers admit that their child mimics their negative beauty behaviour. So keeping this mind, Dove has created a new film to inspire women to pledge their positive beauty legacy, and asks them to share who in their life inspires them using #FeelBeautyFor. The film, Dove: Legacy, highlights how important it is to see your own beauty so you can instil these qualities in younger women around you.

This is the latest instalment in Dove’s Self Esteem Project, which has reached over 14 million young people with self-esteem building programmes.

Buttercup Bill, the debut feature from filmmaking team Emilie Richard-Froozan and Remy Bennett, is billed as a “psycho-sexual doomed love story.” The screen successfully offers a love story complex and rich with that same kind of psychological entanglement and intensity we so often seek during our childhood years. Off-screen, the directors have their own kind of love story: a friendship that began when they were sixteen during an overseas acting/directing course through TISCH.

Coming full circle, Buttercup Bill recently made its European debut at Raindance and will be playing at the New Orleans Film Festival at the end of October.

Why did you choose to film in New Orleans?

Remy: Well, the setting was rural and we needed a rural setting. And we had friends down there.

Emilie: I fell in love with someone who lived down there and I went down there and that was the catalyst: the house that this person lived in…

Remy: We shot the movie in that house that belonged to the person she fell in love with.

How did it feel to shoot in that house?

Emilie: It’s more that it was the people I met there: all of the community. A lot of those people are in the film and it was just a magical experience so it was kind of like no matter what happens–when we were in production–we just had to shoot it in that house because that house was like a magical place.

What was the process of writing a script together like?

Emilie: Lots of cigarettes.

But what was the physical process itself like? Did you pass it back and forth?

Emilie: No, we’d sit in the same room.

Remy: But we passed it back and forth too. We went through so many phases.

Emilie: Well, we’d start a new scene and then we’d go away and come back.

Remy: It was a long process.

Emilie: It took us like a year and a half to two years.

Remy: You go through so many different techniques. We would talk it out sometimes or we would go away and write stuff and exchange it.

Emilie: We’d go to hypnotists and get hypnotised.

Remy: Or we’d go to a restaurant and get a bottle of wine and just talk for thirty hours one session. But we set it up so it was really our job; we had a schedule.

Which was?

Emilie: We worked odd jobs basically and we would sit down and the next thing you know, seven hours had passed.

Remy: We would usually meet at ten in the morning. So, she’d say, “Come to my house at ten” and we’d sit down and be like, “This is our day and we’re not going to leave until seven.” So we would just sit down no matter what was happening, whether it was us just talking or exchanging stories or talking about our lives and being like, “Oh fuck, let’s write this down.” Or we’d have other days where we just wrote, wrote, wrote…

And, of course, you knew you were going to co-direct and Remy would be acting the role you were together writing for her.

Emilie: Yeah, I had a dream during the whole Buttercup Bill thing and I had just gotten back from New Orleans. I had this dream that there was this blonde girl from behind and I knew it was Remy and I was in the desert and I yelled her name and she turned around but it wasn’t Remy, it was a different name I had called. And when I woke up, I forgot the name and I was like, “I know this name. The name is…” But I couldn’t remember it.

My random friend from when I was 15 who I met abroad and who I haven’t spoken to in ten years… I found him on Facebook, wrote him and said, “What was the name of your really mean Swedish girlfriend when you were twenty?” And he was like, “Pernilla.” And I was like, “That’s the name!” And we just started from there. That name, I always knew.

It must be amazing to see this film as a sort of culmination of your relationship up to this point.

Emilie: Yeah, Remy and I met doing an acting/directing class when we were 16. It was at TISCH but it was in Dublin. Remy was in my first short; we made our first short together.

And you just automatically vibed?

Emilie: I can’t get enough of watching her on the screen. And I know that I’m not the only one: she’s it. You know, there are some people that you just want to watch and there are some that you’re like, “I don’t really need to watch them.” Not her. She’s meant to be on the screen.

A portion of this interview originally ran at Alldayeveryday.

This year at the Venice Film Festival on 30 August, fashion giant Miu Miu screened its Women’s Tales project, paying homage to talented women of the silver screen. The series of eight short films were directed by up-and-comers like Zoe Cassavetes, Lucrecia, and Miranda July. These fashionable featurettes, with their wacky but pensive subjects, are all accessorised by beautiful clothing and fabrics from Miu Miu (of course).

The latest instalment is Somebody, by writer, filmmaker and artist Miranda July. July wrote for the first issue of our very own Twin magazine, and has been going from strength to strength ever since.

Somebody accompanies the release of the eponymous app, a new messaging service that enables you to say something difficult to someone you love. Her ironic, witty and touching short film includes a tragedy featuring a sick mother, a devastating break-up, and a bizarre ménage-a-trois between two prison guards and pot plant named Anthony.

This quirky analysis of society’s hunger for communication and technology feels fantastically surreal, but with a striking element of truth.

Juliana Sorelli, the young french director who we interviewed when she released her film Pretty Pretty, is launching a store in Hollywood. Technically the store has no name, only a logo, but lets just call it The Evil Rock N Roll Hollywood Cat. Located in a 1920’s blue house just off of Hollywood boulevard, it gives the impression of someone’s living room from that decade, one that has been taken over by a group of punks and jailbirds – an aesthetic also found in her film work. As well as Julianna’s own designs, which consist of custom made denim and leather jackets, embroidered sweatshirts and a basics range, the store will feature pieces by JFO, a new brand by Matthew Damhave who originally started the label Imitation of Christ, a new designer named James Flemons and his brand PHLEMONS and custom made jewellery from her friends. You can also expect to find photographic prints by Brad Elterman, books, zines and other smaller items such as pins, patches and records. In the future Juliana hopes to host events such as screenings, talks, shows and she even has plans of turning another room into a small secret gallery, so keep an eye out.

To celebrate the launch of her unique boutique, the Los Angeles based director has created a film titled Hollywood Lucifer. Watch it below…

It’s about that time of year again; the evenings are becoming noticeably longer and the air is remaining warm yet faintly fresh. Summer is upon us and so is a season of ‘Cinéma en plein air’ thanks to the return of London’s legendary Rooftop Film Club.

Due to popular demand this year sees the launch of two additional venues, Netil House (London Fields) and The Roof Gardens (Kensington) as well as the original Shoreditch-spot at the Queen of Hoxton. From 30th April to 30th August, the RFC are scheduled to screen a combination of classic, cult and contemporary flicks. Everything from the 1960’s hit Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Aronofsky’s gritty Requiem for a Dream will be available to view underneath the starry nights sky surrounded by exquisite panoramic views of London’s cityscape.

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present is a powerful documentary which takes its viewer inside the mind of one of the Twentieth Century’s most provocative performance artists.

Directed by Matthew Akers, the film is an account of Abramović’s three decades and counting career, her both professional and personal relationship with Uwe Layseipen, and a behind the scenes look at the emotional journey leading up to her extensive 2010 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

At the three month-enduring retrospective, the Belgrade-born artist engaged her viewers in a performance piece which entailed a varying audience member sitting across from her at a table in silence, solely staring into the 65-year-old’s eyes in an attempt to question the concept of art becoming life.

Marina Abramović has always been a fascinating creative force, but this documentary will be the first opportunity to see the woman behind the legendary artwork. It might just be her most inspiring performance yet.

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present is set for release on July 6.marinafilm.com

The metamorphoses of Cindy Sherman knows no boundaries, so it makes sense that an exhibition honouring her work is in a place as vast and all-encompassing as the Museum of Modern Art gallery in New York.

Looking back at her three decades and counting career, the just opened showcase contains over 170 of Sherman’s iconic pieces and portraits, witnessing her take on roles from cinema noir actress to Jean Fouquet’s Madonna of Melun. But Sherman’s countless transformations are beyond pure dress up and trying on a new persona; they are a deep questioning of identity, representation and the role and placement of women in society.

Rather than being solely retrospective, the exhibit is also the first showing of Sherman’s photographic murals from 2010 in America, as well as Carte Blanche: Cindy Sherman, a screening of films made and curated by the conceptual artist, which is fitting considering the strong influence of the medium on her work. The movies will range from horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to John Waters’ Desperate Living, whilst including Sherman’s short film Doll Clothes and feature film Office Killer.

The extensive display of her work shows that even under wigs, prosthetics and layers of makeup, the real Cindy Sherman is always unmistakably there.

Cindy Sherman is on display until June 11 at The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Exhibition Gallery, MoMA, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019moma.org

Ever since the likes of Salvador Dali and René Magritte began blurring the lines between the worlds of fantasy and reality, the creative arts have had a special relationship with surrealism.

Opening today, the Mythologies exhibition at Rivington Design house, curated by Marlo Kronberg and Christine Bílý, continues to explore this correlation through photography, sculpture and film. Featuring the work of artists Bek Andersen, Wendy Bevan, Stefan Milev, Jordan Sullivan, and Paulina Otylie Surys, the group show aims to explore a muse that exists in this duality of fantasy and reality, ancientness and modernism, masculinity and feminism.

Twin spoke to photographer Paulina Otylie Surys on the eve of the exhibition’s opening about the power of artistic collaborations, her muses and surrealism in the arts…

How would you describe your photography work in a few words?An expression of the most precious thoughts of a moment. The pursuit of old traditional techniques and a never ending experiment, a quest for perfection in the craft.

How does it feel to be exhibiting in a show of such diverse artistic talent?When Marlo Kronberg, the curator of the Mythologies exhibition, approached me, I really liked the idea of the show. I also admire a lot the other artists who are participating in the project together with me, I think that their works are great, really powerful. I appreciate any form of great art, all the artists in the exhibition have a similar sublime vibe of reverie. I believe it is going to be a really beautiful event.

The theme of the exhibition is magic realism. What does the term mean to you in regards to your work?I really enjoy creating surreal and unique situations in my works—merging the world of reality with that of imagination, illusion and hallucination. I have always been a big fan of the Lo Real Maravilloso [meaning marvelous reality in Spanish, the term was first coined by Alejo Carpentier in his 1949 novel The Kingdom Of This World] motif in film, literature and art.

The exhibit also explores the idea of paying tribute to the spirit of the muse in the ancient sense. Who or what is your muse?
I have been exposed to fine literature, films and paintings since I was a child. My mother would take care of these matters, it would always be a very important part of our life, so I was already attending operas and theatre at a young age. Even our home in Poland is filled up with books, we had to transfer the less precious ones to the basement because they literally filled up every inch of free space.

Looking towards the future, what projects do you have lined up?I am having an exhibition in London around April courtesy of Supperclub London. I will probably exhibit in Greece soon too, as I am doing a collaboration with an amazing artist, Pascale Pollier. I am also shooting for my monographic album which will be launched during PARIS PHOTO in November, where I will be showing my works in a group exhibition, but I will unveil more details about that within the next few months…